RT-Engels: 12-10-2024,
Senegal’s first president believed his country needed a stable political system that could endure beyond his tenure, and he succeeded
Senegal is once again demonstrating peaceful transition of power – a rare thing in the turbulent West African region. When President Macky Sall had exhausted his permitted attempts to run for another consecutive term, the country was thrown into a period of intense competition. In the latest elections in March, young Bassirou Diomaye Faye assumed the role of president, while Amadou Ba, the candidate of the ruling coalition, peacefully conceded defeat.
These elections have clearly demonstrated the durability of the electoral system – the one that was established a half-century ago by the first president of Senegal, Leopold Sedar Senghor. He is regarded as one of the most significant figures in African political history. The leadership of Senghor, a poet, philosopher, and statesman, was marked by both intellectual brilliance and a deep commitment to the cultural and political empowerment of the country.
Born a sage
Senghor was born on October 9, 1906, in Joal, a small coastal town in Senegal. His early life was immersed in the traditional culture of the Serer people. According to a family legend, Senghor’s birth was marked by a natural phenomenon: a large baobab tree near the town cracked and tumbled to the ground. The Serer people associate powerful ancestral spirits with the most ancient of trees. Accordingly, the family myth claims that the spirit of the baobab chose to take up residence in a child who was destined for greatness.